Displaying network properties in a graphical user interface

ABSTRACT

Network information can be represented by displaying one or more graphical components representing network entities in a first portion of a graphical user interface. An embedded browser is provided in a second portion of the graphical user interface. A selection of one of the graphical components is detected. In response to the selection, browser-compatible data is retrieved from a network entity corresponding to the selected graphical component, and the browser-compatible data is rendered in the embedded browser.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present patent application is a divisional patent application of thepatent application entitled “Displaying network properties in agraphical user interface,” filed on Jul. 28, 2004, and assignedapplication Ser. No. 10/900,889 now U.S. Pat No. 7,853,880.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to displaying network properties in agraphical user interface.

BACKGROUND

Computers have played an increasingly important role in all manners ofbusiness and personal activities. Along with the increased usage ofpersonal computing has come various networks technologies used toconnect the computers together. Computer networks have become asimportant as the computers themselves, providing users worldwideconnectivity via infrastructures such as the Internet.

Networks can range in scale from just a few computers on a local areanetwork (LAN) to worldwide network infrastructures such as a Global AreaNetwork (GAN) (e.g., the Internet). Generally, the larger a networkbecomes, the more complex and difficult it is to manage. Managingnetworks includes checking current status of network devices and links,monitoring network performance to discover bottlenecks and otherperformance problems, configuring network devices to account for newequipment and topologies, etc.

If all network hardware and software is supplied by the same vendor,then a proprietary network management system may be used to maintain thenetwork. A proprietary system can take full advantage of the hardwareand software features provided by the vendor. However, it is rarelyefficient for an enterprise to buy all hardware from the same vendor. Asmarket conditions and technologies change, it is more cost effective tobuy from different vendors to optimize performance and value. Also,having a diversity of hardware and software typically makes the networkmore robust. Therefore, standards have been developed to allow a widediversity of network devices to be managed.

One of these standards is the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).SNMP is an application layer protocol that facilitates the exchange ofmanagement information between network devices. SNMP enables networkadministrators to manage network performance, find and solve networkproblems, and plan for network growth. A network management tool mayutilize an SNMP interface for easy configuration and control of networkdevices. The network management tool may make configuration easier byutilizing, for example, a graphical user interface (GUI).

Although many devices may be accessed and configured using SNMP andrelated protocols, many manufacturers will still want to provide customfeatures that are not easily adaptable to an existing SNMP framework. Itis desirable, therefore, to provide ready access to these customfeatures from a network management tool.

SUMMARY

A method, system, and apparatus are disclosed for representing networkactivity. Network information can be represented by displaying one ormore graphical components representing network entities in a firstportion of a graphical user interface. An embedded browser is providedin a second portion of the graphical user interface. A selection of oneof the graphical components is detected. In response to the selection,browser-compatible data is retrieved from a network entity correspondingto the selected graphical component, and the browser-compatible data isrendered in the embedded browser.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system using a network management tool according toan embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a network management GUI according to an embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a software architecture for a network management toolaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4A illustrates an example sequence of communications between anetwork management GUI and an embedded browser according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4B illustrates a procedure for represent network activity in a GUIaccording to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 5 illustrates an example computing arrangement incorporating anetwork management tool according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of various embodiments, reference is madeto the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which isshown by way of illustration various example manners by which theinvention may be practiced. It is to be understood that otherembodiments may be utilized, as structural and operational changes maybe made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In general, the present disclosure relates to providing a graphical userinterface (GUI) for identifying various properties of a computer networkGraphical entities may be used to represent various network elements inthe GUI. Data relating to those network elements can be displayed in theGUI via an embedded browser. The GUI may be included as part of anetwork management arrangement that provides status and control fornetworks.

FIG. 1 shows a system 100 utilizing a network management arrangementaccording to an embodiment of the present invention. The system 100 mayinclude any form of network, including a local area network (LAN) andwide area network (WAN). The network may include any combination ofnetwork data transfer hardware, data access media, network protocols,and end applications. The illustrated network includes such networkentities as switches 102, routers 104, hubs 106, bridges 108, repeaters109, terminals/thin clients 107, hosts 110, servers 111, firewalls 112,wireless access points 114, network storage devices 116, digitaltelecommunications devices 118 (e.g., network telephone and videoteleconference devices), portable devices 119, clustered systems 120,etc.

The system may utilize any manner of data transfer medium, includingelectrical, optical, and wireless technologies. The network data may betransferred over any combination of protocols, including TCP/IP, UDP/IP,Ethernet, ATM, Token-Ring, Fiber-Channel, etc. The network may includedata equipment located within the enterprise facilities, as well asremotely located data equipment. For example, a remote site network 122may be accessible via the Internet 124, leased data lines 126, or otherconnection arrangements (e.g., dial up). The remote site network 122 maybe directly coupled to the enterprise network, or may be accessed via asecure tunnel through the Internet. The latter may be provided by aVirtual Private Network (VPN) gateway 128.

The system 100 includes a network management arrangement 130 that isconfigured to provide system status and control functionality. Thenetwork management arrangement 130 includes a management terminal 132.The management terminal 132 includes a user interface (e.g., GUI 133)enabling a user to view status of the system 100. The user may alsoinput data to the management terminal 132 (e.g., using keyboard, mouse)for controlling various aspects of the system 100. This control mayinclude shutting down, starting up, and/or configuring network entities.

One or more network topology engines 134 may work in concert with thenetwork management terminal 132 to gather network configuration andactivity data and send commands to devices. The network topology engine134 may gather network data using such protocols as Simple NetworkManagement Protocol (SNMP), Cisco Discovery Protocol, (CDP), FoundryDiscovery Protocol (FDP), Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) tables andping sweeps. The network topology engine 134 may be included with theterminal 132, although the topology engine 134 more typically runs on aserver. The network topology engine 134 may send data directly to theterminal 132 for display, or the network topology engine 134 may storedata in an intermediate data storage entity, such as a database 136, forretrieval by the terminal 132.

It will be appreciated that many network entities can be accessed viathe network for configuration. In a large network, it would beunmanageable to require physical access to all of the network hardwarein order to configure the hardware. Therefore, the hardware manufacturertypically includes a network-accessible configuration interface.

Although some hardware may use proprietary interfaces for remoteconfiguration access, it more common for the hardware to includestandardized network protocol interfaces for this purpose. Typically,the interface is configured so that it can be accessed via a Webbrowser.

A Web browser is a program for graphically rendering content accessedvia a network. Browsers mainly rely on the Hypertext Transfer Protocol(HTTP) over TCP/IP to download documents and other content. Thedocuments are typically formatted using Hypertext Markup Language(HTML), although formats such as plain text and Extensible MarkupLanguage (XML) may also be displayed in a browser.

Browsers are often adapted to utilize other protocols and formatsbesides HTTP and HMTL. For example, many browsers can access files usingfile transfer protocol (FTP). The data retrieved from FTP sites istypically rendered to appear as it would in a native filesystem GUIapplication (e.g., Windows™ Explorer and MacOS™ Finder). In anotherexample, browsers may be able to interpret and run Javascript™ isembedded in an HTML document.

Various extensions may be included in modem browsers to performfunctions besides the rendering of HTML documents. These extensions maybe included with the browser, and/or be added on via the use of“plug-ins.” For example, browsers may be extended to render speciallyformatted graphical objects such as animated graphics interchange format(GIF) objects, Java™ applets, Macromedia™ Flash™ objects, ActiveX™controls, etc.

The flexibility and ubiquity of browsers has made them indispensabletools for accessing all types of network entities. Many network hardwaremanufacturers provide configuration interfaces using browser-compatibledata, such as HTML documents, GIF/JPEG graphical images, plug-ins, etc.Providing configuration interfaces in the form of browser-compatibledata allows the network devices to be accessed by many network-coupledcomputers running a variety of operating systems. A stand-alone browsermay be useful when included with the network management arrangement 130.However, there are still some inherent difficulties in utilizing astand-alone browser in a custom designed network management application.

For example, a provider of network management software would like tohave full integration of all network access functionality, thuspresenting a unified “picture” via the GUI 134. By utilizing an embeddedbrowser, the network management arrangement 130 can seamlessly integratebrowser display and navigation with the other network managementfunctionality.

Another problem with using stand-alone browsers has to do withnon-standard Web interfaces. Although Web content is supposed to followwell-known and widely adopted standards, occasionally Web-accessiblecontent does not comply with these standards. Various browsers deal withthese incompatibilities in different ways; some handle theincompatibilities well, and others not so well. Therefore, there may besituations where utilizing the default browser on a network managementterminal 132 may cause unpredictable results. The network managementarrangement 130 can ensure compatible browser display by including anoptimized, embedded browser in the GUI 134.

Although it may be fairly uncommon for the browser to incorrectlydisplay network accessible content, a far more common occurrence issecurity holes in ever more feature-laden commercial browsers. Sincemost network devices will tend to use simplified interfaces, a simple,robust, and secure embedded browser can provide the desiredfunctionality while ensuring the security of an important asset such asthe network management arrangement 130.

Turning now to FIG. 2, an example network management GUI 200 is shownwith an embedded browser according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. The GUI 200 may be part of the main viewing window of agraphical network management tool. The GUI 200 may include variousfunctional portions, including a menu 202, a toolbar 204, a hierarchicalview 206, a map view 208, and a browser view 210.

The menu 202 and toolbar 204 may provide general functions known in theart, including setting configurations and preferences, applicationstartup and exit, handing files, printing, etc. The menu 202 and toolbar204 may also provide functions specific to other portions of the GUI200. For example, the toolbar 204 may contain a sort button 212 forsorting graphical components in the hierarchical view 206 based onvarious characteristics.

The GUI 200 provides one or more graphical views of various aspects ofthe network. These aspects may be reflected in different graphicalarrangements such as the hierarchical view 206 and the map view 208. Thehierarchical view 206 includes graphic components that represent logicalrelations between network entities such groupings by physical location,network type, device type, network subdivisions (e.g., domains,subnetworks, etc.). The graphical components of the hierarchical view206 are generally arranged in a tree structure. Logical relationsillustrated by the hierarchical view 206 may include parent-child,genus-species, whole-part, type-instance, etc. Those aspects ofhierarchical relations that do not map to physical objects may berepresented as folders 214 while those relations that apply to physicalobjects may include a different representation such as the circle 216.

For example, the folder 214 may include a list of all the Ethernetswitches on the network (i.e., a type-instance relationship). Theconcept of an Ethernet switch “type” does not map to a particularphysical object, thus the folder 214 is the appropriate representationfor the type. The individual switches do map to physical objects, so thecircle 216 (or other image readily associated with the device) may be anappropriate representation.

Although it is possible that containers do not represented any physicalobject, it will be appreciated that in some situations containers canrepresent physical entities. For example, a rack of blade servers is aphysical entity that may be monitored by a network managementapplication (e.g., power and cooling status), and is also a containerhaving a collection of computers. Therefore, the rack may be representedby either a folder or other icon as deemed appropriate, and thehierarchical view 206 may display subcomponents below the rack.

The map view 208 is generally directed to a different purpose than thehierarchical view 206. The map view 208 generally illustrates aspects ofphysical or virtual connectivity between network entities, as well asshowing the entities themselves. For example the shapes/icons 218, 220,222 may represent Ethernet switches of the network, and the lines 224,226, 228 may represent logical or physical links between those entities.

In general, a logical/virtual link also requires an underlying physicallink. Logical links that share the same physical link may be treated byvarious network entities as being on different physical links. Forexample, the links 226, 228 may appear as separate graphical elements(e.g., lines) in the map view 208 even though the actual data in bothlinks 226, 228 is flowing through the same medium (e.g., wire or opticalfiber). The switches 218, 220 may have the links 226, 228 mapped toseparate virtual LANs (VLANs) so that the switches segregate theallowable destination of data based on which VLAN the data is associatedwith.

Although the hierarchical and map views 206, 208 may be directed todifferent aspects of network management, it is appreciated that theviews may work in concert to provide easy manipulation of the views andcontrol the display of information. For example, selecting a componentin the hierarchical view 206 may cause devices associated with theselected component to appear centered in the map view 208. If thecomponent selected in the hierarchical view 206 is a folder 214, thenthe map display may be limited/filtered to just show those components inthe folder 214. In a similar manner, selecting one or more components onthe map view 208 may cause those items to appear selected on thehierarchical view 206, thereby showing the hierarchical relations of theselected component.

The hierarchical and map views 206, 208 may also be tightly integratedwith the browser view 210. The browser view 210 provides a renderingarea 230 for rendering Web-based content such as HTML documents. Thebrowser view 210 may include its own specialized controls, such as anavigation toolbar 232 and a text box 234 for viewing and/or entering aUniversal Resource Locator (URL). It will be appreciated that some orall of these controls may be provided by other elements of the GUI 200,including the main toolbar 204 and/or menu 202.

The browser view 210 may be used similar to a standalone browser, wherethe user selects a bookmark or types in a URL, and the underlyingsoftware connects with the network entities, downloads requested data,and renders the data for display. Because the browser view 210 isintegrated with the GUI 200, it may include interactions with otherportions of the GUI, such as the hierarchical and map views 206, 208.

For example, a user may double-click a component in the map view 208causing a communication to be sent to the browser view 210. Thiscommunication causes embedded browser software to connect to the networkentity associated with the component and download a configuration page.This configuration page is then rendered in the browser view 210.Communications may also be sent from the browser view 210 to the mapview 206. For example, a router's configuration page shown in thebrowser view 210 may provide access to second network entity connectedto a port of the router. This access may be provided by selecting ahypertext link in the router configuration Web page. If a user selectsthis link, the browser view 210 connects to the second network entityand downloads a configuration page of the second network entity fordisplay. The browser view 210 can also send a communication to the mapview 206 so the component associated with the second network entity isshown centered and/or selected in the map view 206.

It will be appreciated that various aspects of operation can bestreamlined by including a browser view 210 in the GUI 200. For example,most network entities require a password to access the configurationpage. If a standalone browser is used to access these pages, the usermay have to lookup and enter passwords, or deal with a password managerof the browser. However, the network management software may include apassword manager for managing the various passwords needed to access thenetwork entities. This password manager may be included as part of theGUI 200, or made accessible (e.g., by an application program interface)for use by the GUI 200. This password manager can also be used by thebrowser view 210 (and its underlying software) so that there is nofurther effort required to access the Web-based configuration pages ofpassword-protected devices.

Turning now to FIG. 3, an architecture diagram illustrates an examplearrangement of network management software 300 according to anembodiment of the present invention. The general network managementfunctions may be provided by a database interface 302, a networkinterface 304, a topology discovery engine interface 306, and a networkmanagement user interface 308. The network interface 304 may act as ageneral purpose interface used for transferring network data over anetwork device (e.g., an Ethernet card) as well as containing variousprotocol stacks (TCP/IP, HTTP, etc.) for enabling network interactions.

The database interface 302 typically includes methods for retrieving andstoring network data via database tables. The database interface 302 mayinterface with a network database via the network interface 304, orinterface with data on a locally attached drive. The database interface302 may work in concert with the topology discovery engine interface 306in accessing network status data generated by a topology discoveryengine 307. The topology discovery engine 307 may run locally orremotely. A remotely running topology discovery engine 307 may beaccessed via the network interface 304.

Network status is displayed via the network management user interface308. The network management user interface 308 may display graphicalcomponents representing various aspects of the managed network. Thenetwork management user interface 308 may also include graphicalcomponents used for controlling various aspects of the software 300,including the database interface 302, the network interface 304, and thetopology discovery engine interface 306

Also shown as part of the network management software 300 is a browsersubsystem 310. The browser subsystem 310 includes a network interface314 to establish connections to remote machines and retrieve therequested files. These files may be passed to the parser 316 whichparses the files. The result of the parsed files may be used by thelayout engine 318 to draw to the render area of the browser userinterface 312.

The parser 316 is responsible for parsing the contents of requestedfiles. The parser may recognize any combination of formats, includingHTML, XML, and Javascript. The parser 316 may depend on the layoutengine 318 to determine the orientation of a Web page. The layout engine318 handles the presentation of Web page contents. The parser 316 and/orlayout engine 318 may communicate with the network interface 314 inorder to request additional files (e.g., images, cascading style sheets)that are needed to complete the page layout.

The network interface 314 handles the data flow across the networks. Thenetwork interface 314 may also maintain various state files such as thecache and “cookies.” Files retrieved by the network interface 314 may bereceived as binary or text (e.g., ASCII) data. It will be appreciatedthat functionality of the network interface 314 may be provided in-wholeor in-part by the software's main network interface 304.

In general, the functional components shown in the example diagram ofFIG. 3 may communicate with other components internal and/or external tothe network management software 300 for purposes of network status andconfiguration. FIG. 4A illustrates certain interactions between a user402, the components of network management user interface (UI) 404, andan embedded browser 406 according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. In one scenario, the user 402 selects (408) a component inthe network management UI 404 that represents a network entity,identified here as “<ID1>.” The identifier “<ID1>” may include anycombination of a URL, hostname, IP address, local reference identifier,etc. Typically references to the network entity will be provided by adata structure (e.g., a class) that allows associating, for example, aninternal reference name of the entity with one or more characteristics(e.g., hostname, URL, etc.) associated with the entity.

The network management UI 404 will typically have some internal tasks tocomplete when the user 402 selects (408) a component, such ashighlighting (414) the component so that it is evident to the user 402which entity is currently selected. The network management UI 404 mayalso communicate (412) the selection to the embedded browser 406 so thatthe browser 406 can take appropriate action for a selection.

In this example, one appropriate action for the browser 406 to take onceit has been informed (412) of an object selection is to download Webdata associated with that object. This download may occur using an HTTPGET command (414). The result of the GET command (415) isbrowser-compatible data (e.g., an HTML document) that can then bedisplayed (416) to the user 402.

The data displayed (416) by the embedded browser 408 may includehyperlinked objects such as text and graphics. In this example, thebrowser 408 may display a hyperlinked reference to another networkentity (being referenced here as <ID2>), and the user 402 may select(418) this hyperlinked object.

The standard behavior for a browser 408 when hyperlinked objects areuser-selected is to download (424) the data associated with thehyperlink and display (426) the data in the browser 408. The embeddedbrowser 408 may also communicate (420) this selection to the network UI404. The network UI 404 may respond by determining whether thereferenced object corresponds to a currently displayed graphicalcomponent, and if so, highlight (422) the component.

Turning now to FIG. 4B, a flowchart 450 illustrates a procedure forrepresenting network activity in a GUI according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. Status of one or more network entities is tracked(452) via a network monitoring protocol. A graphical user interface isdisplayed (454) with one or more graphical elements representing withthe network entities. A selection of one of the graphical elements isdetected (456). In response to the selection, a Web page originatingfrom the network entity represented by the selected graphical element isrendered (458) in a browser display portion of the GUI.

In reference now to FIG. 5, a computing arrangement 500 is shown forproviding a network management GUI according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. The computing arrangement 500 includes dataprocessing hardware 502 that has one or more processors 504 coupled tovarious forms of memory. The processor(s) 504 are arranged to executeinstructions stored on or provided by such memory. Memory accessible bythe processor(s) may include random access memory (RAM) 506, read-onlymemory (ROM) 508, disk drives 510, optical storage 512 (e.g., CD-ROM,DVD), etc.

The processor(s) 504 may also access data via memory available onremovable media 514, such as floppy disks, Zip disks, flash memory, etc.The processor(s) 504 may also execute instructions received via anetwork interface 516. The network interface 516 may be data coupled toany data transfer network such as a local area network (LAN), wide areanetwork (WAN) or global area network (GAN) such as the Internet 518.

The data processing hardware 502 may include and/or be coupled to a userinput interface 520 and an output device 522 (e.g., a monitor) forinteracting with users. The data processing hardware 502 includessoftware 524 that may be provided in the form of instructions executableby the processor(s) 504. Generally, the software 524 includes anoperating system 526 for the control and management of hardware 502 andbasic system operations, as well as running applications. The operatingsystem 526 may include any type of kernel (e.g., monolithic kernel,microkernel, exokernel, etc.) and user interface software such as ashell and/or graphical user interface (GUI). The operating system 526includes facilities for running, via the processor(s) 504, a networkmanagement user interface 528.

The network management user interface 528 may be run as binaryinstructions via a shell or by interpreted instructions that areexecuted via an interpreter (e.g., a Java™ virtual machine). The networkmanagement user interface 528 may include any combination of an embeddedbrowser 530, a database interface 534, a topology discovery interface536, and a network interface 538. The embedded browser 530 may interactwith any of the interfaces 534, 536, 538 as well as graphical componentsof the network management user interface 528 to retrieve, send, anddisplay Web data of network entities.

It will be appreciated that the arrangement and composition of thehardware 502, software 524, and operating system 526 may differ fromthat described in relation to FIG. 5. It will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that the descriptions provided herein of the networkmanagement user interface 528 and related software are independent ofany particular configuration of the computing arrangement 500 or itsoperating environment.

From the description provided herein, those skilled in the art arereadily able to combine hardware and/or software created as describedwith appropriate general purpose or system and/or computer subcomponentsembodiments of the invention, and to create a system and/or computersubcomponents for carrying out the method embodiments of the invention.Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in anycombination of hardware and software.

The foregoing description of the example embodiments of the inventionhas been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. Itis not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to theprecise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possiblein light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of theinvention not be limited with this detailed description, but rather thescope of the invention is defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for displaying network information,comprising: displaying, by an application program, a window having afirst toolbar with first web-browsing controls; displaying, by theapplication program, a first panel within the window, the first panelincluding a topology of a network including a plurality of networkentities, the topology displayed within the first panel as a collapsiblefolder structure; displaying, by the application program, a second panelwithin the window, the second panel including a selected sub-pluralityof the network entities displayed within the first panel, the selectedsub-plurality displayed within the second panel such that each networkentity of the selected sub-plurality is displayed as an objectinterconnected to other objects representing other network entities ofthe selected sub-plurality by lines; displaying, by an embedded webbrowsing program separate from the application program, a third panelwithin the window, wherein the third panel includes a second toolbarwith second web-browsing controls and a text box to receive text toindependently navigate to a network entity corresponding to the receivedtext from the third panel; detecting, by the application program, aselection of a given object of the objects within the second panel;communicating a reference to the network entity represented by the givenobject from the application program to the embedded web browsingprogram; retrieving, by the embedded web browsing program,browser-compatible data from the network entity represented by the givenobject; and rendering the browser-compatible data, by the embedded webbrowsing program, within the third panel.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising, in response to a selection of a given element withinthe third panel being detected by the embedded web browsing program:communicating the selection of the given element from the embedded webbrowsing program to the application program, the given elementcorresponding to a given network entity; and modifying the display of atleast the object representing the given network entity within the secondpanel, by the application program.
 3. The method of claim 2, whereinmodifying the display of at least the object representing the givennetwork entity within the second panel comprises visually changing anappearance of at least the object within the second panel to indicatethat the given network entity is in a selected state.
 4. The method ofclaim 2, wherein modifying the display of at least the objectrepresenting the given network entity within the second panel comprisescentering at least the object within the second panel.
 5. A systemcomprising: a plurality of network entities; an application computerprogram to display a window having a first toolbar with firstweb-browsing controls, a first panel within the window that includes atopology of a network including the network entities as a collapsiblefolder structure, and a second panel within the window including aselected sub-plurality of the network entities displayed within thefirst panel such that each network entity of the selected sub-pluralityis displayed as an object interconnected to other objects representingother network entities of the selected sub-plurality by lines; anembedded web browsing program separate from the application program todisplay a third panel within the window including a second toolbar withsecond web-browsing controls, and a text box to receive text toindependently navigate to a network entity corresponding to the receivedtext from the third panel, wherein responsive to the application programdetecting a selection of a given object of the objects within the secondpanel, the application program is to communicate a reference to thenetwork entity represented by the given object to the embedded webbrowsing program; the embedded web browsing program is to retrievebrowser-compatible data from the network entity represented by the givenobject and is to render the browser-compatible data within the thirdpanel; and a processor to execute the application computer program andthe embedded web browsing program.
 6. The system of claim 5, whereinresponsive to the embedded web browsing program detecting a selection ofa given element within the third panel, the embedded web browsingprogram is to communicate the selection of the given element to theapplication program, the given element corresponding to a given networkentity; and the application program is to modify the display of at leastthe object representing the given network entity within the secondpanel.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the application program is tomodify the display of at least the object representing the given networkentity within the second panel by visually changing an appearance of atleast the object within the second panel to indicate that the givennetwork entity is in a selected state.
 8. The system of claim 6, whereinthe application program is to modify the display of at least the objectrepresenting the given network entity within the second panel bycentering at least the object within the second panel.
 9. Anon-transitory processor-readable medium on which is stored machinereadable instructions for causing a processor to perform a method via anapplication program and an embedded web browsing program, the machinereadable instructions comprising code to: display, by the applicationprogram, a window having a first toolbar with first web-browsingcontrols; display, by the application program, a first panel within thewindow, the first panel including a topology of a network including aplurality of network entities, the topology displayed within the firstpanel as a collapsible folder structure; display, by the applicationprogram, a second panel within the window, the second panel including aselected sub-plurality of the network entities displayed within thefirst panel, the selected sub-plurality displayed within the secondpanel such that each network entity of the selected sub-plurality isdisplayed as an object interconnected to other objects representingother network entities of the selected sub-plurality by lines; display,by the embedded web browsing program separate from the applicationprogram, a third panel within the window, wherein the third panelincludes a second toolbar with second web-browsing controls and a textbox to receive text to independently navigate to a network entitycorresponding to the received text from the third panel; detect, by theapplication program, a selection of a given object of the objects withinthe second panel; communicate a reference to the network entityrepresented by the given object from the application program to theembedded web browsing program; retrieve, by the embedded web browsingprogram, browser-compatible data from the network entity represented bythe given object; and render the browser-compatible data, by theembedded web browsing program, within the third panel.
 10. The medium ofclaim 9, wherein the machine readable instructions further comprisescode to, in response to a selection of a given element within the thirdpanel being detected by the embedded web browsing program: communicatethe selection of the given element from the embedded web browsingprogram to the application program, the given element corresponding to agiven network entity; and modify the display of at least the objectrepresenting the given network entity within the second panel, by theapplication program.
 11. The medium of claim 10, wherein machinereadable instructions further comprise code to visually change anappearance of at least the object within the second panel to indicatethat the given network entity is in a selected state.
 12. The medium ofclaim 10, wherein the machine readable instructions further comprisecode to center at least the object within the second panel.
 13. Anapparatus comprising: a plurality of network entities; a memory on whichis stored machine readable instructions for: an application program todisplay a window having a first toolbar with first web-browsingcontrols, a first panel within the window that includes a topology of anetwork including the network entities as a collapsible folderstructure, and a second panel within the window including a selectedsub-plurality of the network entities displayed within the first panelsuch that each network entity of the selected sub-plurality is displayedas an object interconnected to other objects representing other networkentities of the selected sub-plurality by lines; an embedded webbrowsing program to display a third panel within the window including asecond toolbar with second web-browsing controls and a text box toreceive text to independently navigate to a network entity correspondingto the received text from the third panel, wherein responsive to theapplication program detecting a selection of a given object of theobjects within the second panel, the application program is tocommunicate a reference to the network entity represented by the givenobject to the embedded web browsing program; the embedded web browsingprogram is to retrieve browser-compatible data from the network entityrepresented by the given object and is to render the browser-compatibledata within the third panel; and a processor to execute the machinereadable instructions.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein responsive tothe embedded web browsing program detecting a selection of a givenelement within the third panel, the embedded web browsing program is tocommunicate the selection of the given element to the applicationprogram, the given element corresponding to a given network entity; andthe application program is to modify the display of at least the objectrepresenting the given network entity within the second panel.
 15. Thesystem of claim 14, wherein the application program is to modify thedisplay of at least the object representing the given network entitywithin the second panel by visually changing an appearance of at leastthe object within the second panel to indicate that the given networkentity is in a selected state.
 16. The system of claim 14, wherein theapplication program is to modify the display of at least the objectrepresenting the given network entity within the second panel bycentering at least the object within the second panel.